The Nutcracker Courtney Oliver When my husband and I moved to Spartanburg several years ago, we were delighted to find a professional orchestra and ballet company. This is rare for cities the size of Spartanburg. And between the Spartanburg Little Theatre, Spartanburg Art Museum, Artists Guild, Hub City Writers Project, and more, it is also a true testament to the community’s appreciation and support of the arts. What is also fantastic and rare about the arts in Spartanburg is how frequently each organization partners together. Having worked in the performing arts in Memphis, TN, I know firsthand how challenging
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collaboration can be. It takes extra time to plan and frequently additional funds over and above what a typical performance requires. The smaller the organization, the more of a challenge it becomes to overcome these obstacles. While the Spartanburg Philharmonic and Ballet Spartanburg have partnered on numerous smaller collaborations over the years, it has been 20 since we performed the Nutcracker together. It is undoubtedly an enormous creative undertaking, but the results will be absolutely incredible. While you may have enjoyed the Nutcracker each year, seeing it performed
